With heavy heart, Burke back to work

"It's not supposed to be this way. Your kids are supposed to bury you. It was compounded by the fact that Brendan was a special kid. Not too many 21-year-olds have blazed a trail like that. He had a huge heart, had a great future in it, and I promised that his message will live on.

"The trail-blazing step Brendan took is he went very public with the fact that he's gay and that that was acceptable in the hockey world, and I think that's a wall that needs to be broken down. That's what I pledged to keep working towards, is that this game should be open to everybody, and everyone should be open to play this game. I think that was Brendan's message, and it took a lot of courage."

– Brian Burke on his son, Brendan